We flew into Minneapolis in August of 2017 from Vancouver, BC.  Our first intention was to fly back to West Palm Beach, FL.  As there are rarely direct flights to West Palm, we had to make a few hours of a layover in Minneapolis, a major hub for Delta Airlines. 

Why not make a stop in Minneapolis for a few days?  A few days became ten days as we made a circle tour of the heart of the Midwest and traveling to such places as Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Little Big Horn Battlefield where Gen. Custer died; and looping around through North Dakota.  It would be my 50^th State ever visited.

We knew but two factoids about Minneapolis: the Minnesota Vikings played in the city.

Secondly, we knew about the Mall of America being in the metropolis.

The Mall of America is the largest mall in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere.  There are about 520 retail stores. The mall, though, is only the seventh largest in the world. 

Who is the largest you ask?  It is the mall in Dubai. It has over 12 million square feet—as large as 50 soccer fields. There is an actual ski slope in that mall as well as 1,200 retail stores.

 

There are plenty of hotels to choose from around the Mall of America as this mall draws people from many destinations.  Our choice was to stay in the comfortable Embassy Suites.  This hotel also had shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as to the famous mall close by.  In addition, the eggs cooked to order is a big plus in our eyes.

The hotel is large. Like most Embassy Suites, our room was large too. Our friendly shuttle driver was from Russia.  He was good in giving tips and suggestions. 

For two nights, we ate at the hotel’s restaurant called Woolley’s.  We loved the fresh sautéed mushrooms and the food was good too.

Our first trip to the mall, we took the shuttle over.  We were greeted at this one entrance by the artwork by a man named Hottea. 

The artist is famous for making “yarn based” displays.  

This mall has two, three and four stories.  You may remember in 2019 a five-year old boy was thrown from a third story balcony from the Mall of America in a random attack. The boy lived and the perpetrator got 19 years in prison.

 

Unlike many other malls we have visited, this mall has an amusement park in the center.  Nickelodeon Universe operates this indoor theme park. We did not go on any rides though, but it was fun watching.

As we were walking around the amusements, I spotted a baseball plate. 

The mall is situated where the former Metropolitan Stadium was located and where the Minnesota Twins baseball team once played. It was at this location where Harmon Killebrew hit a 520-foot home run on June 3, 1967. 

A red chair marks the spot where that colossal hit landed.

Harmon was once the fourth leading home run hitter in Major League Baseball.  I remember watching Harmon on Saturday afternoons from one of the only three TV channels back in the 1960s that would broadcast Major League Baseball once a week.  Harmon looked like a “big” guy.  In the 1960s, he was: 213 pounds and 5-foot-11 inch. His pants always seemed baggy to me.

This man would absolutely crush the baseball.  Maybe this was due to the fact he worked as a farmhand in his youth carrying 95 pounds of ten-gallon milk cans.  Harmon would eventually hit 573 homeruns in his lifetime.  He did, though, strike out a lot with only batting average of .256.

You would think Harmon was mean.  He was actually a quiet guy who complimented umpires on their calls. When asked about his hobbies, Harmon replied, “Just washing the dishes, I guess.”  Today at the stadium downtown there is a large statue of Harmon Killebrew.  He was a genuine All-American hero.

Somehow, we never got lost in the mall, but I couldn’t tell you today exactly where we walked.  There were digital displays to help us.

All the major brands are located at this mall.

We did come across an Apple store opposite a Microsoft store.  The Millenia Mall in Orlando has these two stores on different floors.

There were a few Minnesota stores we had never seen before.

In 2017, Chick Fil-A was coming to the Mall of America.  I thought that was interesting as the Treasure Coast Mall in our local area had their Fil-A at least two years before.

There were defiantly places to keep the teenagers busy.

On a bottom floor was located the “Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium.”  Over 4,500 marine life including turtles and sharks are part of a 300-foot-long curved tunnel. Being from Florida and visiting several aquariums in our lives, we skipped this attraction.

We could not resist eating some Daytona Wings from Hooters located on a fourth floor. 

Close by is a competing restaurant called “Dicks.” 

On another day, we arrived to the mall by Light Rail.  One just could not see 520 shops in just one day. 

Taking the Light Rail helped us see part of the other Twin City—St. Paul. The Light Rails are fun to ride and we never felt threatened.

We crossed the mighty Mississippi River.

Not far was the University of Minnesota. The Light Rail literally divided the campus. I did see the stadium from the Light Rail streetcar where the University of Minnesota “Gophers” play. 

We had a student at Martin County High School, Ryan Hubbard, who played for the Golphers.  He was quite the athlete and scholar. I remember an in-house boys’ volleyball match as I refereed the match.  Ryan’s left-hand spike was devastating. The school system, though, never did adopt boys’ volleyball.  Ryan later became a Professor at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon teaching Management, Health and Human Kinetics. 

A few more miles east is the impressive Minnesota State Capitol which is actually in St. Paul. 

There are a number of statues around the Capitol like Leif Erikson.

There is a legend that Vikings explored this area about a 1000 years ago. Historians believe the exploration never happen, just along the coast of Newfoundland.  The belief that Vikings were in Minnesota helped the newly arrived Scandinavians settle in the region.

Finished in 1905, the Minnesota State Capitol reminds me of the US Capitol in DC. A major difference is the gold plated “Quadriga” looking west.

There is a reception room for visitors.  There was a US map with pins indicating where all the people who visited came from.  I placed a pin right in Jensen Beach, FL.

Over a $240 million restoration was begun in 2013. Much of the 30,000 pieces of marble was either replaced or restored. 

The state government was out of session and we were able to go into several of the Minnesota’s governmental sanctuaries.

We thought most impressive is the Governors Reception Room with a number of Civil War paintings.  In 1865, Minnesota was a new state, but over 20,000 soldiers served for the Union.

From one of the State Capitol windows, I could see in the distance the famous Cathedral of St. Paul. 

Walking over, we came across a large statue of Hubert Humphrey. The statue was rightfully so pointed towards the State Capitol.

Herbert was once a Mayor of Minneapolis; a long time Senator and Vice-President of the United States.  I always wondered what would have happened if he had beaten Nixon for the Presidency in 1968?

There is also a statue of Charles Lindbergh. 

Even though his birthplace is Detroit, MI., Charles lived most of his childhood in Little Falls, MN.  In a previous post I discussed his burial place being on Maui, HI.

As Cathedrals go, this one is young. Opening in 1915, this Cathedral is the sixth largest in the United States.  Overall, this is an impressive Catholic landmark and is today a National shrine. 

We did have to take a “double-take” on seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta.  The once in St. Paul Mn. is actually a cast from the original from St. Peters in Rome. 

Across the street is a plaque commemorating the first ever patrol crossing which began in 1921.

In the distance, we could see the city of St. Paul.  We would leave that destination for another time.

 

Thank you for joining us for “Reminiscing Sundays.”